Heart & Home
February is Heart Month with our annual celebration of Valentine’s Day. Whether Cupid plays a role in your event or you plan a gathering of friends or family, your day is worthy of holistic design considerations in order to set the stage…
Upon deciding the nature of your Valentine’s Day 2012, you must determine how to create the right atmosphere, mood and resonance for the room(s) in your “set”. Your space deserves the right color scheme, lighting, textures, scents, sounds and shapes.
Red. This traditional color associated with the Valentine shape heart is a warm and inviting hue filling your room with energy, vitality and passion! As it has the longest wavelength and the slowest frequency in the color spectrum, its influence lingers on. It will also make a room appear smaller and more intimate. Be sure to choose the right value of red according to the occasion. Take some paints and explore by mixing red with white for a pink tink, red and blue for violet, etc. Ultimately, you want to achieve the right vibrational balance for your partner or guests.
Some scenarios.
Daytime. Greeting the ladies for lunch, you could appear ‘pretty in pink’ as they encounter the refreshing scent of geraniums in your entrance. Warm color accents in food and table setting, even the cliche red check tablecloth and a red table wine can help to carry the theme of conviviality. Pink is associated with friendship, universal love and healthy self-love.
In the dinner hour, the passionate red hue carried by roses, red wine, deep burgundy table napkins can be augmented by gold accents and sparkling glass. A dramatic wall hanging or work of art, soft lighting and candles may provide the right setting for an adult gathering. If your dining space has a “view” or your guests can gather in a solarium, be sure to catch the fire of sunset in early evening before dinner…and a winter moonrise afterwards. Meanwhile, in the “sitting room” setting – a simple, long stemmed rose, elegant soft furnishings, tints of rose and dreamy silver represented by candlesticks, silverware and frames will support the sentimentalists who gather to reminisce. You might choose this day to display some very special photos.
Shape: Look at the Valentine. It has two soft curves joining at the top of an inverted triangle. Could this be the symbol of yin (female, curves) and yang (male, pyramid energy)? Even in your red color scheme, balance can be achieved with a diversity of shape, color and texture. And a scenario for couples only? I leave this to the realm of your imagination. Look for rainbows in a glass of champagne!
Fragrant mood enhancers: You need not be told that the beauty and scent of the rose is a universal favorite on this day! Did you know that diffusing essential oils can also contribute a feeling of romance in the atmosphere? Choose from ylang ylang, jasmine and sandalwood. Happily, they are middle notes and vibrate also with green and yellow rays. These scents are both yin and yang and provide balance and support, a sort of contrast harmony to the influence of red. Add pure essential oils to soy candles, use a reed diffuser or choose a pure aromatic room spray. Last but not least, is the perenially favorite bouquet of roses with their pure scent of romance!
Sound: On this day, “if music be the food of love, play on”. From a sentimental serenade to the red hot rhythms of the tango, your musical choices are many. For the daring, a pair of live songbirds might perform!
Happy V Day!
Bette